Revised OHV Trail Monitoring Form (GYR Form) and Training Guide prepared for USDA-Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Region by Roger Poff R. J. Poff & Associates, Nevada City, CA under Natural Resources Professional Services Contract 53-91S8-NRM08 NRM Corporation, Eureka, CA, Prime Contractor July 30, 2004 Contents 1.0 Introduction 1 2.0 Methods 1 3.0 Findings 2 3.1 Specific Changes to the Stanislaus Draft Form 2 3.2 Basic Erosion and Sedimentation Processes 3 3.3 Cause Codes 5 3.4 Sample Segments 6 3.5 Stream Crossings 7 3.6 Trail History 8 3.7 Definitions 8 3.8 Miscellaneous 9 4.0 Discussion and Recommendations 10 5.0 Appendix 5.1 Revised OHV Trail Condition Rating Form (GYR Form) A1 5.2 Instructions for Using the Revised Form A3 Introduction A3 Office Preparation A3 Form Header Information A4 Column 1 – Trail Section A5 Column 2 – Section Length A5 Column 3 – GYR Condition Codes A5 1 Water Control A5 2 Erosion Off-Trail A6 3 Sediment Traps A6 4 Tread Wear A7 5 Tread Width A8 6 Unauthorized User-created Trails A9 7 Approach to Watercourse Crossing A10 8 Other A11 Coding the Sheet When No Problems Exist A11 Column 4 – Cause Codes A11 Column 5 – Trail Gradient A13 Column 6 – Crossing Approach A13 Column 7 – Management Codes and Comments A14 Column 8 – Photograph Number(s) A15 5.3 USFS 2000 Version of GYR Trail Rating Form A16 5.4 Stanislaus NF Draft Revision of GYR Form A18 5.5 Team Members and Reviewers A20 5.6 Sites Visited in the Field A21 1.0 Introduction The purpose of the OHV trail condition rating process is to gather information that can be used to monitor OHV trail condition, prioritize maintenance, program funds, and provide a basis for managing OHV trails and areas. The current trail condition form—also called the GYR Form—was originally developed on the Los Padres National Forest as an aid to scheduling maintenance. This method of rating OHV trail condition into green, yellow, and red condition classes was incorporated into the 1991 Soil Conservation Guidelines/Standards for Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation Management as Section G, Monitoring System. Although the GYR trail rating process has been in use for over 12 years, it has produced inconsistent results, especially when used by individuals with limited experience in erosion and sediment control. The USFS issued a reformatted and slightly revised version of the form in 2000. In 2003, a small interagency team of earth scientists and OHV specialists was organized to develop a revised version of the GYR trail rating form. The goal was to develop a revised GYR form that (1) was focused on water management and soil conservation, (2) would give consistent GYR ratings, (3) included an evaluation of the off-site impacts of OHV trails, and (4) was simple enough and clear enough to be used consistently by non-specialists such as recreation technicians, summer interns, and laypersons with minimal training. Members of the interagency team are listed in Appendix 5.5. This project was completed under Natural Resources Professional Services Contract 53-91S8- NRM08, Natural Resources Management Corporation, prime contractor. Subcontractor Roger Poff served as the team leader, edited the revised form, wrote the instructions on how to use the form, and wrote the final report. 2.0 Methods In May 2003, a USFS Region 5 soil scientists’ workshop was held in Auburn, CA. On a field trip to the Sugar Pine OHV Area near Foresthill, the USFS 2000 version of the GYR trail condition form was used in a field exercise. The participants provided many valuable suggestions on how the form could be improved. In early summer 2003, the Stanislaus National Forest used this information as a starting point to develop a revised GYR form. After several drafts, including field testing on both the Stanislaus and Lassen National Forests, the Stanislaus developed the version included as Appendix 5.4. The GYR form developed by the Stanislaus incorporated several significant changes that greatly improved the form as compared to the 2000 version. Some of the more important changes included (1) the ability to rate multiple sections of a trail or trail segment on one sheet, (2) a focus on indicators of soil erosion and sedimentation to define trail condition, (3) definitions for green conditions as well as for yellow and red conditions, and (4) a logical order and arrangement of condition classes for easy comparison. Because the Stanislaus version of the GYR form had already incorporated the recommendations made at the Foresthill soils workshop, and since it had been field tested, the team used the Stanislaus form as a starting point in developing its revision. However, the Stanislaus form had not been extensively field tested outside the Sierra Nevada. To test the GYR form under a broader range of conditions, the team members conducted field trips on September 22-26 and November 25, 2003. Team members visited ten representative OHV areas in California, including southern California, State SVRAs, and desert OHV areas administered by the BLM. Page 1 of 10 The sites visited are listed in Appendix 5.6. Notes taken during the field trips were summarized by topics as findings, and are presented in the following section. The findings from the field trips and the Stanislaus draft GYR form provided the basis for the team’s first draft of the GYR form. This draft was circulated to team members and other interested individuals, who provided extensive comments. These comments were incorporated into a second draft, which was again circulated for comment. The comments were incorporated into the final version included in this report as Appendix 5.1. A detailed set of instructions on how to use the GYR form was then written and circulated for review. The final version of these instructions is included in this report as Appendix 5.2. 3.0 Findings The following is a summary of the observations and discussion that took place during the team’s field trips. These notes are included only to show the range of the ideas discussed and considered in revising the form. Some of the ideas discussed were not incorporated in the revised form. Some ideas were conflicting; some were rejected; and some were modified during subsequent drafts of the form. Although the extensive comments received during the reviews of draft versions of the GYR form are not included in this report, the findings section does provide a good overview of the team’s discussion and dialog. References to the GYR form in the findings section are to the Stanislaus draft (Appendix 5.4) which was being reviewed, not to the final version of the form. 3.1 Specific Changes to the Stanislaus Draft Form The following specific changes to the current GYR form (Appendix 5.3) and to the Stanislaus draft form (Appendix 5.4) were identified as necessary to develop a form suitable for statewide application: Stream crossing condition codes that use “fines in pools” as criteria. Delete and revise conditions G7/Y7/R7. This criterion is too difficult to determine for non- specialists. Even watershed specialists would find it difficult to apply “fines in pools” consistently, since a small amount of erosion and deposition from OHV approaches at crossings could result in observable fines in pools at low flows, while a large amount of erosion and deposition could be flushed out in channels with higher flows. The team proposed evaluating stream crossings using (1) agency-specific criteria and (2) an evaluation of trail condition on crossing approaches. A crossing approach is the section of trail from the last cut-off waterbreak to the channel. Additional discussion of crossings is included in Section 3.5, Stream Crossings. Trail gradient. While trail gradient (% slope of the tread) is very useful information, not all evaluators may have access to a clinometer or know how to use one, so some agencies may choose not to make this measurement mandatory. Keep it on the form, but as an optional item. Awareness of resource protection is lacking. This is too subjective to be used consistently as a criteria for a GYR rating. Delete it. Photo number. Add a column to record photo number. While photos are optional, it is highly recommended that photos at least be taken of sub-segments [sections] rated red. Land management agency presence lacking. This is too subjective to be used consistently as a criteria for a GYR rating. Delete it. Page 2 of 10 Barriers lacking. Barriers are a treatment, and lack of barriers is a cause. Need to define lack of barriers in terms of resource damage. Excess moisture at time of use. This is a cause, and should be so listed and defined. Cover effects under ruts or some other trail damage. The R2 rating. Need to match up with gully definition. G2/Y2/R2. Need to tune up the definitions for amount of soil loss, The current <4, 4-6, >6 inches is too narrow a range. More appropriate breaks may be 0-6, 6-12, >12 or 0-8, 8-16, >16 inches. In any event, these depths should be used as guidelines coupled with other criteria for the GYR ratings, not as absolutes. Also, how tread loss is measured where berms along the sides of trails are present needs to be clearly defined. Soil type and/or soil texture. As with slope, this is important information, but beyond the capability of most non-specialists to evaluate. Add a space to include as an optional item. Condition of signs. The team questions whether the GYR form should gather this type of information.